Model Teaching
In my own life, I have often rebelled against hypocrisy very strongly, to the point where if I received good advice which was not being followed by the person giving the advice, I would disregard it. And I know I am not alone. Nothing creates antagonism and taints a student-teacher relationship more. I cannot count the number of times I’ve seen teachers instantly turn entire classes against them by doing things such as forcefully and vehemently demanding that we should know such and such information while he/she (the teacher) has made it very obvious that they only know the information because they have the teacher’s edition and are reading from it. Teaching starts with modeling the behaviors you want to see in your students.
What kinds of things do we want to see in students? Collaboration, kindness, encouraging each other, etc… To obtain these goals, we must ourselves be collaborative, kind, and encouraging. We cannot remain in isolation, yelling at our students in a solitary classroom to “do better” and “pay attention and learn.”
If you are having difficulty breaking out of this traditional mold of antagonistic teaching, I would like to direct you to Anne Davis. Anne is a model teacher. Not only did she take the time to be one of many guest lecturers for my Education Technology class (not to slight the other guests in any way), but she recently posted this blog in which she linked to all of my and my classmates blogs and encouraged others to read and comment on our blogs, in addition to commenting on all of the blogs herself. I cannot imagine how fortunate her students are to have her as a teacher when she has reached out so much to those of us who are not even in her class.
So for all of you pre-service teachers, take notes. For all of you current teachers, here is a good example to improve what I am sure is already excellent teaching. And for all of you looking to hand out awards for excellence in teaching, Anne has my vote.
(P.S., did anyone else get a kick out of me linking to Anne linking to me?)
May 9, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Hi Andrew,
Well I for one got a kick out of you linking to me linking to you! (Hmmm, did I get that right?)
I want to thank you for your gracious comments about me. It is a bit overwhelming. Can you see me blushing here in Georgia?
I do so hope that you will continue blogging. You have a knack for adding to the conversations in a way that will spark conversations. I consider that a good trait! I too have rebelled against hypocrisy throughout my career. I know the relationships you develop with your students will be good. I think Virginia is sending quite a crew of “emerging teachers” forward - lead the charge!
Best,
Anne Davis